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Did you know that 93% of online traffic starts with a Google search?
If you want your website to be visible to your target audience, it's essential that you rank high in search engine results . And this is where keyword research comes into play—the way to appear on Google without having to invest in campaigns.
What is Keyword Research?
Keyword research is the process of identifying the words and phrases your target audience uses to search for information on Google . It's about understanding how users think and search so you can optimize your content and make it more visible to them.
Why is Keyword Research Important?
Good keyword research allows you to:
- Attracting the Right Traffic to Your Website : By optimizing your content for the keywords your target audience is searching for, you ensure the right people find your website.
- Improve your SEO ranking : Google uses keywords to determine your website's relevance to a given search. By using the right keywords, you can improve your ranking in search results.
- Increase your conversions : If your website is visible to people searching for what you offer, you're more likely to convert visitors into customers.
How to do Keyword Research?
While every SEO expert will have their own method for keyword research, we can broadly break the process down into the following steps:
1. Define your target audience
The first step to conducting effective keyword research is to understand your target audience . To do this, you can answer the following questions:
Who are your ideal clients?
What needs do they have?
What problems do they seek to solve?
How do you search for information on the Internet?
You should also be clear about whether you want to work on local SEO , that is, position yourself for localized or geolocated searches. In that case, your keywords should include the name of your city or municipality.
2. Keyword Brainstorming
Once you have a good understanding of your target audience, start thinking about words and phrases they might use to search for information related to your product or service. You can use the following techniques to generate ideas:
- Think like your target audience : Put yourself in your customers' shoes and think about how they would search for information about your product or service.
- Use autocomplete tools : Autocomplete tools from Google and other search engines can help you discover new keywords that your target audience is using.
- Analyze your competition : Research which keywords your competitors are using on their website and in their marketing campaigns. To do this, you'll need an SEO tool, which we discuss below.
3. Research search volume
It's important to know the search volume for the keywords you've selected. This will help you determine the traffic potential each keyword can generate . For example, a keyword with few monthly searches will attract less traffic than one with high volume.
4. Evaluate the competition
Analyze the competition (difficulty) for the keywords you're interested in. How difficult is it to rank for those keywords? You can use tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to obtain this information.
5. Select the best keywords
Based on your research, select the keywords that have the greatest potential to drive traffic to your website. To do this, you must primarily find a balance between search volume, competition, and relevance to your business. For example, if you're working on SEO for an e-commerce site, you should use transactional keywords to position your product catalogs.
6. Optimize your content
Use the keywords you've selected to optimize your content, including titles, meta descriptions, headings, and body text . You can also use them in your online marketing campaigns.
Keyword classification
Keywords, the terms users type into a search bar, can be categorized in a variety of ways, allowing you to better understand your target audience's needs and optimize your content for better search engine results.
Below you will find a classification of keywords according to three criteria : search intent, length, and categories.
1. Search intent:
- Informational : The user is looking for information on a specific topic. Example: "How do I make a cake?"
- Navigational : The user searches for a specific website. Example: "www.google.com"
- Commercials : The user searches for information about a product or service with the intention of purchasing it. Example: "shoes online."
- Transactional : The user is ready to make a purchase. Example: "buy Nike sneakers."
2. Length:
- Short tail : 1-2 words, high search volume, high competition. Example: "sneakers"
- Middle tail : 3-4 words, medium search volume, medium competition. Example: "women's sneakers"
- Long tail : 5 or more words, low search volume, low competition. Example: "cheap women's running shoes size 40"
3. Categories:
- Brands : Keywords that include a brand name. Example: "Nike shoes."
- Cities : Keywords that include a city name. Example: "Madrid sneakers"
- Prices : Keywords that include a price range. Example: "cheap sneakers"
- Products/Services : Keywords that refer to a specific product or service. Example: "running shoes"
Keyword Research Tools
1. Google Keyword Planner
This free tool allows you to understand the search volume of keywords, as well as the competition for those keywords. It also gives you ideas for new keywords and allows you to create ad groups for your Google Ads campaigns.
- Advantages : It's free, easy to use, and provides valuable insights into search volume and competition.
- Disadvantages : It doesn't offer as much information as paid tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs.
2. SEMrush
This paid tool offers a wide range of features for comprehensive keyword research, including competitor analysis, long-tail keyword research, and ranking tracking.
- Advantages : It offers a wealth of valuable information on keywords, competition, and SEO positioning.
- Disadvantages : It is a paid tool, which can be a drawback for some users.
3. Ahrefs
Another paid tool that allows you to perform in-depth keyword research, including backlink analysis, related keyword research, and content analysis.
- Advantages : It offers a wealth of valuable information on keywords, competition, and SEO.
- Disadvantages : Although very powerful, it is also a paid tool.
4. Ubersuggest
This free tool allows you to gain insight into keyword search volume, search trends, and ideas for new keywords.
- Advantages : It is free and easy to use.
- Disadvantages : It doesn't offer as much information as paid tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs.
5. Keywordtool.io
This free tool allows you to get ideas for new keywords from a seed keyword.
- Advantages : It is free and easy to use.
- Disadvantages : It doesn't offer as much information as paid tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs.
6. Answer the Public
A free tool to get ideas for new keywords based on a seed keyword. It also gives you information about the questions users are asking about that keyword.
- Advantages : It is free and easy to use.
- Disadvantages : It doesn't offer as much information as paid tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs.
There are many other keyword research tools available, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Ultimately, the best keyword research tool will be the one that meets your needs and adapts to your constraints, especially your budget.
Conclusions
Keyword research is a fundamental part of any effective SEO strategy . By taking the time to research the keywords your target audience is searching for, you can improve your website's visibility on Google and increase your conversions.
In fact, this is all that good keyword research can do to improve your website's SEO :
- You can use keywords to optimize your existing page content . This will help make them more relevant to user searches.
- You can use keywords to create new, high-quality content that's useful to your target audience. Again, this will make your website more attractive to users and help Google rank it higher in search results.
- You can use keywords to identify opportunities to gain high-quality backlinks from other websites. Backlinks are an important ranking factor that can help improve your Google rankings.
Need help with your keyword research?
If you've made it this far and still don't know where to start searching for keywords, our digital marketing agency has an expert web positioning department to help you conduct keyword research that will boost your website's SEO.
This way, you'll gain visibility, traffic, and conversions from potential customers who are searching for you but can't find you.
Ask us for a no-obligation SEO quote and start making the most of your website's potential on Google.
